2.26.2007

It was honestly only a matter of time before this team played like penalized idiots too long before someone was going to make them pay. Naturally it was the team that they could feasibly face in the first round. Even without Pyatt and Ohlund, the Canucks barely skated in this game. How insanely frustrating must it be for Luongo to look out in front of him all afternoon at 5 guys who aren’t trying? The fact he kept them in that game so long – YET AGAIN – shows why he’s gotta be next to Crosby for the Hart so far this season.

If you were curious, here’s a look at all the Vancouver penalties in the last five games:

Besides the sheer number of PIM’s here, I see way too many hooking and holding calls here (the rare Avs game aside, but I did mention that while I bumbled my way through it last week). I’m far from a hockey statistician, but does anyone have a breakdown of all the penalties league-wide called this season? I’m sure both of those could be #1 and #2 respectively, but it just strikes me as such a lazy penalty to take. I’ve seen Morrison take them all season, I know I’ve seen Mitchell and Krajicek do it a fair amount too. And if I see Bulis getting called at all, I can almost guarantee it’s laziness.

The trading deadline aside, this team has a good deal of work still to do. A postseason spot isn’t locked up and, even if it was, this lack of discipline will almost certainly give them a first round exit. Luongo can’t do it all, he simply can’t.